Chapter 2 "Hurt"

Amanda

"Ambassador Sarek asked you to marry him in a business proposal?" My roommate, Kelly, sonorously shrieked after I revealed the excitement of my day. She was also a teacher, but she taught older children in high school. After work, I plopped down on a white chair at the kitchen table with a bag of pretzels from Earth that I saved for a rainy day or, since it didn't rain on Vulcan, a bad day.

"No, not really. The Ambassador wants to study Human behavior and thinks marrying a human woman would assist him in understanding the culture and his interactions for his career. A business transaction is what he called it," I bitterly groaned, opening the bag of pretzels and grabbing a handful.

I munched on the salty snack and felt a small wave of happiness. Vulcans only ate healthy and salty pretzels were not an option unless one brought them from home. Kelly opened the refrigerator and brought two coca-cola cans to the table we carried from Earth for the same reason. Sympathetically, she handed one to me and then indulged in the pretzels.

" The Ambassador then stated, rudely, I might add, that he understood that human women's chances of marriage decrease as they age and that this might be the only offer I receive," I remarked, feeling sorry for myself. My roommate's eyes widened before I put my head in my hands for a second.

"It was devastating, so I ran and hid in the restroom until he left. The Ambassador doesn't even comprehend why I'm pissed off," I whispered.

"Amanda, I am so sorry this happened. It sounds horrible," Kelly sympathized, and I removed my hands from my face and nodded. We ate our snacks in silence for a few minutes.

"How well do you know him?" she slowly asked.

"Not too well. Seleuss, my boss, introduced us four months ago at a social event raising money for the Academy when you were on vacation on Earth. We have had discussions about Surak's teaching, meditation, some classical music that we like, but nothing too personal," I dismissed offhandedly.

"Do Vulcans even have a personal life," Kelly wondered out loud after sipping her coca-cola. Shrugging, I remarked that I didn't know.

"He does have a son," I remarked.

"How do you know that?"

"Before I worked at the Academy, I interned at a Vulcan School. I met the Ambassador once very briefly there four years ago, but I don't think he remembers," I responded with a loud sigh and put my head down on my sofa's pillow. I felt downhearted as I didn't need a Vulcan pointing out that I was aging and unmarried.

"So he was married at one time?" Kelly stated in awe.

"I guess," I replied with a frown on my face. More silence ensued as we snacked.

"Why would he propose to you? The whole situation is weird," Kelly declared.

"Not to him. Like me, you have been on Vulcan for five years; you know they think strangely, ultra-rationally. The Ambassador thinks he will better understand his human counterparts by learning about their culture, so he should marry. It was humiliating," I responded, smacking my forehead with my right hand.

"What's worse is that he's the best-looking Vulcan around. I have even overheard a Vulcan woman talk about his attractiveness and eligibility, " Kelly commented, with a tiny apologetic smile on her lips.

"Gee, thanks. Whether that's true or not, there's nothing like being told by the most attractive Vulcan that this may be your only offer of marriage because you are 30," I sarcastically said.

"Hopefully, you won't see him again for a while," Kelly wistfully stated.

"Or ever," I snapped back.